"MY CONNECTIONS TO PLAY"

Select two quotes that you feel summarize what play represented for you in childhood.

“Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength” (Ginsberg, 2007). 

“Play helps children weave together all the elements of life as they experience it” (Almon, 2002).



"Grandma's old Bible"



Include two to three pictures of essential play items for your younger self.   While growing up in the Country we did not have a lot of things to play with so we used things around the house.  Most of my play was centered on pretend play. Teacher, Preacher, Mom & Dad this is how we would play.  Using my grandmother’s old shoes, purses and clothes, my grandmothers church hat and bible, and always pretending to cook and feed the baby.  We did not have a doll baby so of course of my cousins had to be the baby when we played Mom & Dad. 

"Grandma's old church shoes"



"Grandma's old church dress"



"Grandma's old glasses"

Describe how people supported play when you were younger and/or the role of play in your childhood.  Play was supported by adults really just allowing us to play.  It was no right or wrong way to play.  As long as you were not in harms way you were allowed to play for hours at a time.  I really cannot remember play as much in the school setting.  I never attend preschool because we had adults that provided care for us until time to enter school. Therefore, in Elementary school what I really remember is taking naps on my mat and doing work no play other than outdoor play, which was called recess we all looked forward to that time of day.

Write a brief entry on how you feel play today is similar or different from the play in which you engaged as a child and what your hope for young is now with regard to play.   The way that I feel play is different now than from the play in which I engaged is “play was simply just that – play”.  Today, there is so much emphasis placed on play for a child’s healthy development that it can at times not become play.  Play of yesteryear was not monitored as it is today either.  We were told when young to go play.  We would play for hours without adult supervision.  It was understood that everyone should be inside before it gets dark.

Include your thoughts regarding the role of play throughout your life and/or the role of play throughout childhood and adulthood.  Play for me was very important throughout my childhood.  When growing up we used whatever we had around the house to play and have fun.  We mad mud pies, climbed trees, build forts from cardboard boxes old sheets and sticks used a steering wheel from an old car of my grandfathers to fix a bicycle so that we could share and ride.  All of our play was really centered on pretend play.  Whenever we built of fort we were providing a place for our family to live, we mad mud pies for food for the kids to eat, and when riding the bicycle we were going to the grocery store to buy food for the house.  We just about reenacted everyday life.  So these were life lessons learned through mimicking what we saw the adults in our lives do everyday.

Resources

Almon, K. (2002). The vital role of play in early childhood education. Gateways, 43. Retrieved from http://www.waldorfresearchinstitute.org/pdf/BAPlayAlmon.pdf

Ginsberg, K. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182–191. Retrieved from http://www.aap.org/pressroom/playfinal.pdf